The Middle Of Nowhere Squared
by Roguie
Summary: Fate dealt a Bella a bad hand. Armed only with her best friend, she left Forks in search of her destiny. Three years later, she's waiting tables in the middle of Nowhere, Nevada. Alice has found her home, will Bella's time come in the form of a certain green eyed stranger? Or will the secrets they choose to keep hidden be the final nail in a coffin Bella's long sensed coming? AU/AH
1. Nowhere In My Dreams

Title: Middle of Nowhere Squared

Author: Roguie

Fandom: Twilight

Pairings: Edward/ Bella, plus canon sets.

Rating: M for language and potential future sexy times.

Summary: Fate dealt a Bella a bad hand. Armed only with her best friend, she left Forks in search of her destiny. Three years later, she's waiting tables in the middle of Nowhere, Nevada – Alice has found her home, will Bella's time come finally in the form of a certain green eyed stranger? Or will the secrets they choose to keep hidden be the final nail in a coffin Bella's long sensed coming? AU/AH

Disclaimer: Twilight obviously doesn't belong to me, Stephanie Meyer gets that right. Me? I just borrow her characters and mutate their inner voices for a bit of fun. Please don't sue: my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.

A/N: Taking a small break from TVD – the writing is doing nothing for my muse this season so instead I'm going to put my efforts into this all human Twilight fiction before I get back to writing Confessions of a Baby Vampire. Y'all have canon Delena right now anyway, so you don't need me spicing them up for the moment. I can't guarantee the speed of updates on this as I get very little writing time in my day, but my muse seems very excited with what she's started here, so let's see where she takes it. As with all my fics, I only ask that you drop me a line and let me know that you're either enjoying my work or if not, what I can do to improve what I'm writing. I'm a big girl, I can take constructive criticism where warranted. This, however, is the first time I've ever dabbled in the AU/AH world of fiction, not to mention the first time I've ever stepped in the Twilight fan pool. Here's hoping for a warm welcome.

_~~VV~~_

_**Prologue: Nowhere In My Dreams**_

_~~VV~~_

Life doesn't always take the path one expects. I'd spent twenty two years following the rules. School is more important than boys, homework over parties, work now so you don't have to work twice as hard in the future, listen to your parents and they'll never steer you wrong. So that's what I did. I worked my ass off in school, bringing home straight As with never so much as a stutter in their dependency. I didn't join any teams or extra curricular activities, but I did work shifts at the local sporting goods store to help supplement my college fund. I went to a party here and there, but since I had no real time for dating, drinking and dancing didn't hold the appeal it did for my incredibly small group of friends. I was every parent's dream child, until the dream shattered in a brilliant explosion and left me alone, picking the traces of shrapnel out of my decimated life.

I'd always wanted to write. There was a time I'd not be caught dead without a pen and pad somewhere on my person. I guess things haven't changed that much, only now I was scribbling half hearted disjointed lines on paper napkins on my breaks.

Yep, you've got it right. That's me, Isabella Swan, Forks High's brightest, voted most likely to succeed, taking orders at an all night diner fifty miles outside of Las Vegas, Nevada, on a desert road that led somewhere, I'm sure, but I've never bothered driving far enough down it to find out where.

There's not really a town around me, more like a few clusters of trailers every few miles, sometimes a house, more often than not there's absolutely nothing.

After everything went down with my dad, I high tailed it out of town faster than you could say debt consolidation. I forfeited my first semester's tuition and never returned to WSU, hopping into my sixty year old truck and leaving my dreams behind in the dust between me and the entire state of Washington. I picked up a stray just before passing the 'Now Leaving Forks" sign on the only road out of town: my best friend, Alice Brandon, her bags packed and stacked beneath her as she sat waiting for me, sticking her thumb out for my attention only when it seemed I had no intention of stopping to let her in. It only took seconds for the little homunculus to toss her shit into the box before climbing into the cab and clapping her fingers together, tipping her designer sunglasses down over her eyes and kicking her feet up to rest on the dashboard.

"I vote we go south," she'd said, checking her nails calmly, her voice matter of fact as if she had any say in which direction I'd make my escape.

Still, I couldn't stop myself from asking, "What's south?"

"Sun, warmth, tans, boys, tanned boys warming themselves in the sun, preferably shirtless, slowly drinking an ice cold beer…"

I'd laughed as she carried on in her typical Alice manner. Since I had no real direction in mind and it really didn't matter where we ended up, I turned south to thank her for my first real laugh in weeks.

Turned out, I probably should have rented a car or something, since the third day we were on the road, having finally managed to drag Alice out of the bright lights and dripping sin offered by the streets of Las Vegas, the desert heat proved to be too much for my old truck and it choked and died less than two hundred feet from where I now call home.

The locals called it Hale's Everything, since the space housed Hale's Diner, Hales Auto and Tow, Hales Video and Convenience, and Hales Gas Bar. You'd think the Hale family would be pretty proud of what they built, and they were, but not too proud to take me in when I finally had no where else to go, and no means to get there even if I had.

Bill Hale took both Alice and I under his wing, giving us a trailer in the small row he had built behind his tiny empire. He gave Alice a job at the convenience store and set me to work waiting tables at the diner. He told us we could work to pay our rent until we got back on our feet, after that, if we wanted to stay on with his family, the double wide was ours, as were our jobs. He wouldn't see two little girls put out on the streets when he had the power to change that.

So we stayed.

Yeah, I break a few too many dishes and I've spilled more plates than I think they've counted, but I'm a pretty good waitress overall. And Alice? God, what do I say about Alice? Turned out Mr. Hale has twins our age, Jasper and Rosalie. Rose ran the gas and auto side of the business while Jazz controlled the video and convenience store. We weren't living there three months before Alice had Jasper wrapped around her little finger and I had the double wide trailer all to myself. I doubt if I ever actually wanted to leave Hale's Everything that she'd come with me again. Alice found her forever home here in the middle of nowhere squared.

Me?

Yeah, well I'm still looking.

_**~~ TBC ~~**_


	2. Behind Green Eyes

Title: Middle of Nowhere Squared

Author: Roguie

Fandom: Twilight

Pairings: Edward/ Bella, plus canon sets.

Rating: M for language and potential future sexy times.

Summary: Fate dealt a Bella a bad hand. Armed only with her best friend, she left Forks in search of her destiny. Three years later, she's waiting tables in the middle of Nowhere, Nevada – Alice has found her home, will Bella's time come finally in the form of a certain green eyed stranger? Or will the secrets they choose to keep hidden be the final nail in a coffin Bella's long sensed coming? AU/AH

Disclaimer: Twilight obviously doesn't belong to me, Stephanie Meyer gets that right. Me? I just borrow her characters and mutate their inner voices for a bit of fun. Please don't sue: my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.

A/N: Well hello Twi-Verse. Here we are with the first real part of The Middle of Nowhere Squared. Like I said, I can't promise the frequency of updates but since I'm working Sundays this week and next (thank you Christmas season for the crappy extra shifts) I'll be pretty regular for a few weeks. I'm not sure how many of you out there are reading this, but here's hoping you're as friendly as my other fandoms. I don't ask for much, just a dropped line to let me know how you like the story. Reviews keep my muse fed and happy – she's constantly holding up a sign that states in very clear letters, will write for food. Let's not disappoint her, or for that matter me while I'm trying to hide from the travesty that is my current television obsession.

_~~VV~~_

_**Part One: Behind Green Eyes**_

_~~VV~~_

We didn't get many unfamiliar faces in Hale's Everything. The fifty or so locals that lived in the general area were enough to keep us afloat, and the occasional stranger that Rosalie had towed to her garage just supplemented the business. Bill rented out the trailers in the small park he'd built behind the Everything, making it all flow that much smoother. That's why when the little bell jingled over the door to the diner, knowing Rosalie had been sunning herself out back by the pool all afternoon, I didn't even bother looking up from the sugar dishes I was filling, choosing instead to pack away the bag of sugar as I spoke.

"Just sit anywhere, I'll find you in a sec. Grab a menu off the bar if you don't know what you want."

Okay, to a stranger it may have seemed a bit rude, but since I could pretty much call all our cliental by name, I didn't give it a second thought. At least, not until I heard a deep, velvety chuckle fill the dining room. None of my regulars had a tone that rich or smooth; the chuckle was compounded by a deep, rich masculine voice.

"Take your time. I'm suddenly in no hurry."

I rose from where I'd been tucking the sugar into one of our lower storage cabinets, blushing furiously as I became all too aware of the fact that when he'd approached the bar to grab a menu, he would have been greeted by none other than my jean skirt clad ass, raised high in the air as I struggled the ten pound bag back into its spot.

I straightened up way too quickly and bounced my head off the counter overhang.

"Fuck me!" I hissed sharply as the suddenly blinding pain burst behind my eyes, supplemented by the tell tale tinkling of glass at my feet. One of the sugar jars fell off the edge of the counter when I jarred it, shattering, spilling the freshly filled sugar in every which direction. Double fucking fuck.

"Far be it from me to turn down an offer so…" he chuckled softly, "Sweet…"

"Goddamn it, Bella, what was it this time?!"

I blushed harder as Bill yelled from the back, immediately pulling my bottom lip between my teeth as I raised my hand to the back of my head, wincing at the tight knot I found under my hair, before turning around.

I must have hit my head harder than I thought, because the moment my eyes met his sparkling green ones, I lost my entire knowledge of the English language. When I say lost it, I mean the words literally flew out of my brain. If I could take my eyes off his for even the barest of a second, I'd be able to watch my words happily fluttering their way up and out of the diner, never to return. I was an infant again, no ability to communicate, blush burning deeply, limbs suddenly trembling uncontrollably as I reached out to hold onto the bar for much needed support.

The owner of those dazzling green eyes raised a single finger to his lips, unnecessarily gesturing me to silence as if I could speak anyway. He raised his voice to carry into the half open kitchen.

"Sorry about that, sir. I was grabbing a menu and didn't see the sugar jar sitting on the counter. I think I almost killed your waitress."

Bill's laughter echoed into the dining room. "Trust me, son, she needs no help there. We see the LV paramedics so often for Bella that they've got a standing invite to holiday dinner around here."

I was going to burst a blood vessel with how deep I was blushing. I'd surpassed pink, blown by red, and was currently sporting a lovely shade of magenta that I'm sure had no place on the human body. Fuck Bill. I love him, but seriously, fuck him.

"Sorry again, sir. I'll pay for it with my cheque if that's okay?"

"Aw, don't worry about it, kid. We're used to shit breaking around here. Just grab a seat and let Bella know what you want." There was a pause before Bill's throaty chuckle floated out to us once more. "Just remember, if she ends up in your lap today, she's not flirting, her feet just had another argument with the floor."

Yep. Call an ambulance. I'm pretty sure that if I haven't died yet, I wouldn't last more than anther hour before embarrassment took me on my final inevitable journey to nothingness.

When it seemed apparent that Bill was through with his running commentary about my misfortunes, I finally freed my lip from its prison between my teeth, just as a single green eye winked in my direction and its owner turned to find a seat in the otherwise empty dining room. I took a moment to glance him over, worrying my lip slightly more as I took in his attire. He was well spoken, his eyes burned with intelligence, but instead of the tailored suit one would expect with such a personality, he was wearing skin tight jeans that were stained with dirt and oil. His well muscled arms were streaked with dust turned to mud by trails of sweat, and his short, well manicured nails were caked in grime. His short bronze hair stuck out from his head in all directions, some strands plastered to his forehead with sweat and grime, other pieces doing their best impression of untamed cowlicks. His appearance completely defied his voice in a way I'd never seen, and the entire package of contrasts left me on edge.

I took command of my brain, forcing orders to my limbs to shift into motion, mercifully striding gracefully to the table he'd chosen, pulling out my order pad and pen without any sign of grievous injury.

"What can I get for you…?" I trailed off suggestively, leaving the space open for him to fill in his name.

He smirked knowingly. "Well, Bella, how about you tell me what's good?"

Damn it, he was playing with me. Was he flirting? The amount I knew about men rivaled my knowledge of the inner workings of computerized combustion engines. For the first time in my life, I cursed my teenaged solitude. Wasn't this a game girls were supposed to learn around sixteen? Fuck. My. Life.

"Um, pretty much everything is good around here. At least that's what I've been told."

Yep, I couldn't even flirt. He probably thinks I'm an idiot now, if the knot in my head, the jar of sugar, and Bill's commentary hadn't succeeded in convincing him of that earlier. Or worse, he could think I was uninterested, which should have been the truth, but was really the furthest thing away from the truth I could imagine. Fuck. Maybe I'm misreading the entire exchange and he's just being friendly. Maybe he's not at all interested and I really am being complete idiot.

This sucks.

"Then I guess a burger and fries are in my future, unless you have a better suggestion?"

His eyes sparkled mischievously and I was helpless to stop my answering grin. Words flew out of my mouth before my brain even registered speaking. "Oh, I have plenty of suggestions, but we'll start with that burger and fries."

He chuckled, his eyes danced, and internally I did a graceful if imaginary happy dance. He was definitely flirting, and for the first time in my life, I didn't totally screw it all up. Miracles did exist.

His food was up quickly and I left him alone while he ate, acknowledging his presence with a calculated flip of my ponytail over my shoulder each time I felt his glittering green eyes on me as I went about topping off all the other condiment containers and quickly wiped down all the empty tables.

When he was just over half way through his dinner, I wandered over with a fresh pot of coffee, successfully pouring him a cup without severely scalding either one of us. I set it in front of him with a friendly smile, hoping my complete lack of confidence came off as the direct opposite.

"So…" I trailed off again, hoping against hope that he'd fill in the empty air in which his name should have floated. I was met with silence, a lifted eyebrow, and the cutest crooked smile that I'd ever seen. I struggled for a second uncomfortably, blushing in his silence, before clearing my throat and straightening up, forcing my voice to remain firm and confident. "How's that burger?"

He offered me a full grin then, wiping at his lips before taking a long draw of the fresh black coffee, and shrugging. "Pretty damned good, actually. You've impressed me, Bella." He winked as he used my name, a saucy reminder that I'd not yet managed to learn his. "I may have to come back to sample your other… suggestions."

Fuck me if I didn't blush bright red and watch helplessly as he chuckled mercilessly over his food.

"What…"

Yes, my voice squeaked. I suddenly sounded like a thirteen year old boy. This was absolutely the farthest away from cool and confident I could imagine.

"What brought you here today, anyway? We don't get many strangers in here, as you could imagine."

He shrugged, smiling. "Brother bonding time. We were supposed to be ATV roughing for the afternoon, but I was stupid enough to let him lead the way. We ended up here, and I ended up abandoned while he flirts shamelessly with the bikini clad blonde out back. I don't even know how he saw her from the road, it's like he has a sixth sense when it comes to half naked women."

I outright giggled. Most men had a sixth sense where Rosalie was concerned, but usually it led them in the opposite direction. As beautiful as she was, most guys had some sense of self preservation, even when their entire blood supply was being relocated out of their brains.

"Good luck to him. Rose is… difficult."

Green eyes grinned back at me. "Yeah, well, so is Emmett. Could make for an interesting show."

"Oh, shit," I laughed loudly. "Your brother is Emmett Cullen?"

The smile dropped off his face, and his eyes suddenly turned dark and guarded. His voice dripped out a wary, "You know him?"

I couldn't stop laughing. The giant oaf of a man had been creating reasons to stop out at the garage for weeks, ever since Rosalie had towed him in when his jeep died not far from the Everything. "Tell me he didn't dissect the ATV's engine again? Rose'll kill him if he pulls that shit a third time. She's way too good with engines to not know when something's been purposely tampered with. He thinks he's being so subtle but really… really…" I was laughing so hard I had to sit down across from the poor bewildered hot boy. "It's just kind of funny and sad all at the same time. He's trying so hard."

"So. This wasn't a random drop in then?"

I shook my head. I knew my dark eyes were dancing with mirth, my own levity forcing green eyes to relax and chuckle along with me.

"I've been set up?"

I nodded quickly, biting my lip to prevent myself from making any unladylike noises as I deepened my breathing, trying to calm my sudden bout with hysteria.

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Bastard." He climbed gracefully to his feet, sighing softly as he pulled out his wallet, reaching out to tuck a few bills into my hand. When his fingers brushed against mine, we both paused, frowning, my heart beating an uneven samba as a distinct shock lit up between us, sending sparks of electricity up my arm and down my spine. He swallowed thickly, green eyes hooded as he met my own questioning gaze. "Dry desert air."

"Yeah," I mumbled in return, my tone hurt at the air of dismissal that suddenly filled the space between us. What happened to the light flirting and easy conversation we'd managed to start up?

I watched mutely as he walked over to the bar, picking up one of Bill's cards and tucking it into his wallet.

He offered me a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes as he headed towards the door. "I'll be in the city for a few months. If Emmett's dogging your blonde friend as hard as you say he is, I'm sure we'll meet again, Bella."

I returned his smile with a weak one of my own, still wondering how our conversation took such a downward spiral. "I'll try to keep the personal injuries to a minimum the next time you come in." Whatever, it was a lame joke at my expense, but at least a touch of mirth returned to his eyes.

"How about in between visits, too?" This time his smile was warm and his gaze danced with the mischievousness that had dropped so suddenly away. "You're far too pretty to endanger."

Well, fuck me.

Before I could pick my jaw up off the ground, the bell over the door jangled its merry little tune, and he was gone.

I hadn't even gotten his name.

**~~~TBC~~~**


	3. Cloudy with a Chance of Redemption

Title: Middle of Nowhere Squared

Author: Roguie

Fandom: Twilight

Pairings: Edward/ Bella, plus canon sets.

Rating: M for language and potential future sexy times.

Summary: Fate dealt a Bella a bad hand. Armed only with her best friend, she left Forks in search of her destiny. Three years later, she's waiting tables in the middle of Nowhere, Nevada – Alice has found her home, will Bella's time come finally in the form of a certain green eyed stranger? Or will the secrets they choose to keep hidden be the final nail in a coffin Bella's long sensed coming? AU/AH

Disclaimer: Twilight obviously doesn't belong to me, Stephanie Meyer gets that right. Me? I just borrow her characters and mutate their inner voices for a bit of fun. Please don't sue: my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.

A/N: Hmm, sadly I'm starting to think that no one is actually reading this story. You'll have to let me know if it's worth continuing. I was enjoying it, but there's really no point in keeping going if no one else is, really I'd just be embarrassing myself. Just let me know if it's worth it, if it's not, no big deal, I'll just head back to writing Confessions of a Baby Vampire and leave the Twilight world be. At least I know where I stand with TVD community. I've never tried writing an AU/AH fic before now… am I doing it wrong or something?

*shrug* For this chapter, we have Edward's pov. Who is the green eyed devil that teased our poor innocent Bella so mercilessly and wouldn't give her his name? Tonight, we shall find out.

_~~VV~~_

_**Part Two: Cloudy with a Chance of Redemption**_

_~~VV~~_

Far be it from me to pretend I didn't have a pretty cushy life. My dad played doctor to some pretty important people, people that valued nothing more than their privacy, so they paid very, very well. We wanted for nothing as kids; our mother didn't have to work, we went to the best schools and when we graduated, those very same people were more than happy to offer us our own cushy jobs. We had our choice of any positions we wanted, whatever would make us the happiest, because by extension of our father, we were family.

I turned down the opportunity when I first got out of school. It wasn't that I didn't appreciate what was offered, but I'd seen the turmoil that keeping someone else's secrets had taken on my father. When things were bad, they were very bad. My dad kept up his public practice, choosing to fund and operate a free clinic on the outskirts of Seattle, maintaining a reputable status among the public, but in private, people came and went at all hours. No one came to him at two in the morning for the flu, and it wasn't a bout of chicken pox that they paid him to keep quiet. My father spent more mornings than he cared to admit elbow deep in blood, saving lives that didn't deserve saving, stitching up wounds that were well earned. The whole business aged him, and at the ripe old age of twenty four, with a fresh business degree in hand, I thought I was strong enough to walk away from everything the experience offered.

Emmett didn't live with my misconceptions. We grew up rich and spoiled by a lifestyle that no other career could support. Em didn't want to leave the luxury he was accustomed to, and how could I blame him? While I spent the last four years of my life living paycheck to paycheck, working a twelve hour a day blue collar job trying to make ends meet and failing miserably, Emmett took advantage of his size and brute strength, fitting in where I didn't think I could. He lived a life of fast cars, faster women, and wads of cash showered on him for working less than fifteen days a month. When he bailed me out financially six weeks ago, for the fourth and final time, I had no choice but to go with him to a meeting he'd set up with his employer. I couldn't keep going the way I was going and not end up living in a cardboard box, visiting a soup kitchen on Sundays just to stay alive. I gave up, I sold out, but for what it's worth, the job that I landed was decent overall. No late night visits to my father's basement operating room for me. I didn't actually have to see any of the action that I potentially created.

For lack of a better term, I'm a tracker. Plenty of people out there owe my new employers money, and it's my job to find them if they've gone to ground. Since I'm new at the game, they set me up with a mentor of sorts, and have me digging into dead files until I'm used to the job they want me to do. Lucky me gets to spend the next six months trying to find people who've been gone for three or four years. Considering the bonuses they're offering me for a successful locate, I'll be back to living life the way I've always known it if only two or three of those files work out. For now, I'm still living paycheck to paycheck, and I really need to find a cheap place to live. I need to get my ass off Emmett's couch pretty quickly, but I'm taking each day as it comes right now.

Today was a little brighter than most. My first instinct was to strangle Emmett for dragging me out to the middle of nowhere, only to abandon my ass to hit on some blonde he had no chance in hell of landing. Money and bling only worked on a certain type of woman; considering the sardonic look in Bikini Blonde's eyes as Em loped over to her, this particular woman did not fit that type. Of course, without Emmett's foray into rejection, I'd not have met Bella.

It seems a bit underwhelming, I'm sure, since I didn't even give the girl my name, but something about her begged for my attention, screamed for it even, and it honestly had nothing to do with my first impression of her.

Absolutely nothing.

Why would I lie to myself?

So what if her legs were well toned and seemed endless under that tiny excuse for a jean skirt that she happened to be wearing today?

So what if she was bent forward at such an angle that the denim hugged her ass like a second skin, taunting me with the absolute perfection of her curves, reminding me exactly how long it's been since I'd had a woman laid out before me, tempting me with the ingrained knowledge of how perfectly my hands would fit over her hips, how easily her soft skin would mould beneath my fingertips, how breathtakingly her ass would shape itself to my body when I pulled her back against me?

So what if I lied to her about the desert air building that shock that passed between us the moment my fingers brushed over hers? I may have lied to her, but I certainly didn't lie to myself on that regard; there was no way that was a mere build up of static electricity; that particular shock was a build up of something entirely different. I felt the energy that flew between us down each and every single inch of my spine, and it took whatever blood I still had in my brain and pooled it in much more uncomfortable places as it traveled. That shock told me everything I needed to know about Bella, starting with and ending with the fact I needed to know more.

Fucked if now my own jeans didn't fit correctly. I groaned quietly, adjusting myself gently as I lay back on the sofa. My traitorous cock only got harder as I mercilessly poured over my afternoon. Her big dark eyes were so freaking innocent and unsure, but at the same time they sparkled with the promise of unrestrained mischief. Her neck was long and exposed by the tight ponytail into which she'd tied back her dark hair. My brain couldn't turn off the way her entire body flushed on a dime at the barest hint of embarrassment. Or fuck, her poor abused bottom lip, red and plump, caught between perfect white teeth more often than not as she sat talking to me. Didn't she understand what that could do to a guy? My cock twitched in agreement as my mind forced me to replay every second that she bit down on her lip on constant repeat while I groaned into the semi-darkness of the living room. It fucking amazed me that I had the sense of mind to not leap across the tiny table and claim that lip as my own. If she wanted it bitten, I'd be the one to bite it. If she wanted it sucked on, she could be damned certain that I'd be the one sucking on it. Fuck, the same went for any of her other more neglected body parts. The girl was practically my perfection in a bottle, and I'd be willing to wager my next paycheck that she had absolutely no clue as to the effect she had on me.

Nope, her gaze was too uncertain, her blush too simplistic, her grin too surprised and proud to fully understand that the entire time we were talking, my dick was hard enough to cut through glass, and that was all thanks to her. Bella, whose last name I was too retarded to ask. Bella, whom I knew nothing about except where she worked. Bella, I grinned, pulling William Hale's card from my wallet and quickly dialing his number into my cell, who with a bit of luck is about to become my favorite new neighbor.

"Good evening, Mr. Hale?" I grinned into the phone, finally relaxing as the call connected. "I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but my name is Edward Cullen. I was in your diner this afternoon?"

His voice was rough and warm, if not slightly surprised to hear from me. "Mr. Cullen. I trust you're not calling to complain about our Bella, are you?"

I chuckled softly. "No, sir. Honestly, I noticed you rented trailers on a semi permanent basis?"

"Sure do, son. Didn't figure you for a life of trailer park living, though."

I sighed. "As it turns out, I need a place to stay for six to eight months, possibly longer, depending on the contract I'm currently filling. It's honestly a work from home position, so I really just need something warm and comfortable to keep the rain off my head until I see if this all pans out."

It was his turn to chuckle. "Son, I lived the life of a contract worker for years before I built this place. Never knowing where my next paycheck was coming from, never knowing if this year I'd be in California and next year freezing my ass off working a pipeline in Alaska."

"Fortunately it's not quite that kind of contract work, sir. I'm mostly computerized these days. No heavy labor needed." I grinned.

"Ha, then you're lucky that I love my daughter, Mr. Cullen. About a year ago she got to whining at me about the poor reception on the TV and how she had to depend on her cell phone for any access to the internet. Since I can hardly deny that girl a thing, we've got top of the line satellite cable reception and internet out here. Should be just about anything you need to get your contract up and running. 'Course I gotta kick that into the price of a single, you understand, if you're gonna be using it."

"Of course, sir, that's completely understandable." Sometimes I loved the life in which I'd been raised. Treating people with respect came naturally to me, and was not lost on the man on the other end of the phone.

He hummed and hawed a bit over the price, perhaps sensing I'd have done some research and am more than familiar with the fact that around Las Vegas, a mobile rental could go anywhere from $300 a month up to $900 a month depending on the area. My employers paid me a decent amount, but I wasn't sure $900 a month would be feasible until my bonuses started coming in. A guy still had to eat and as I was considering moving almost an hour out of the city, I had to consider buying a car for traveling and gas expenditures too. Fuck, the whole thing was a bit of a spur of the moment dumb ass decision if you'd ask anyone else, but it made sense at the time.

Finally Bill Hale offered me $500 a month for a single, all amenities, pool, satellite and internet included, with a fifty percent discount at the diner for being a resident.

Best goddamned offer I'd had in two years, short of the cardboard box I'd been considering before my move.

I hung up the phone, letting the man know I'd be there with in the hour, and quickly stuffed my small amount of belongings into the duffle bag I'd tossed at the foot of Emmett's sofa.

"Hey, Em?" I called through the apartment, shaking my head as I received only a tired grunt in response. What kind of thirty year old man needed to take a nap in the early evening after a day of doing practically nothing? "I'm moving out, man."

"That's cool, bro. No more accountant on the sofa, cramping my style."

I snorted. "You have no style."

"Just because it's not your style, Eddie, doesn't mean it don't work for the rest of the world."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll text you tomorrow."

"Just don't forget to let the boss know where you're at."

I sighed. Drawback number one to being in the business I'm in. Personal space is not an option. Ever.

"I'll email that asshat, James, when I get settled. He can let the boss know when it matters."

"Fair enough." A set of keys came flying out of the bedroom, bouncing off a lamp and crashing down loudly onto the glass coffee table. "Take the jeep. I'm bored with it anyway. Gives me an excuse to go buy a new toy tomorrow."

"When have you ever needed an excuse?" I muttered darkly, unable to completely mask the bitterness I still housed at the way everything in his life had been dropped at his feet.

"Careful, college boy; I'm gonna start thinking you're jealous of a simple meathead like your big brother."

"That'll be the day."

"Yeah. Everyday."

"Fuck you, Em."

"Love you, too, bro. Don't wait too late to throw me that text tomorrow; I want to take the ATVs back out to the Everything. I made some good headway with Rosie today. Don't wanna let that momentum slide."

I chuckled, quietly. "You can thank me later, then, bro."

"Thank you for what? Sleeping on my sofa? Eating my food? Taking my ride? Oh, I know, using up all the hot water to get a little bit of sand out of your perfectly coiffed hair."

I could practically hear him roll his eyes.

"Moving into the Everything, giving you, dear brother, ample reason to hang out in the middle of nowhere squared?"

Silence came from the bedroom, followed by a sudden thump and Emmett's very naked form appeared in the doorway.

"Aw, fuck, man; put away the twig and berries before I go blind!"

"I'm gonna hug you, bro." His voice was dead serious, the expression on his face unreadable as he took a step forward, wiping an imaginary tear from the corner of his eye.

"Not fucking naked you're fucking not!"

"You're the best little brother a guy could ever ask for." He took two steps closer, completely ignoring the horror on my face, opening his arms widely.

"Seriously, dude, back the fuck off until you at least put on a pair of shorts."

"I love you, Eddie!" he cried, launching himself across the living room, knocking me to the sofa.

"EMMETT! GET OFF!"

Three hundred pounds of naked man flesh is not what I needed crushing me into cold, uncomfortable leather. He drove my nose into his armpit as he rubbed his knuckles into my skull, practically bouncing on my spine.

"I'm seriously canceling all your fucking debt to me, bro, and we're chilling every fucking weekend at your place. Rosie won't know what hit her!"

He fisted my hair again before pulling me up, batting my flailing hands away from his face like I was an infant.

"You're not gonna know what hit you if you don't get the fuck off me, now. Jesus, Em, it's like I don't know you!"

"Quit whining and get your shit. Can't get Operation Rosie going if you're just gonna lie around here all day drinking in the awesomeness that is me!"

I shoved my way out from under him, careful not to come into contact with any rogue dangling bits as I dropped to the floor. I purposely kept my eyes on my duffle bag as I scooped the keys up off the coffee table, slung the bag over my shoulder and made my way to the door.

"I'll text you tomorrow, Em. Do me a favor, though? The next time I see you, I don't want to actually 'see' you, okay? That's just disgusting, man."

He laughed at me, lying back on the sofa, tossing a leg over the back, making me flinch one last time as I walked out of the apartment.

"Don't think you're fooling me, bro. I know jealousy when I hear it."

"Keep telling yourself that, Em, and maybe it'll be true someday."

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out!"

We didn't mean any of it, not really. Emmett saved my ass more times than I cared to admit, and me? I covered his ass more times than he deserved. That's what brothers are for.

At least when we're both dressed.

Fucking Emmett. Moving out is the best thing I could be doing for our relationship. We've always been close, but tonight, no, tonight was just a bit too close for my comfort.

I chuckled to myself as I loaded the duffle bag into the back of Emmett's jeep. I hopped into the front and started it, pulling out into the streets of Las Vegas, heading for Hale's Everything about an hour up the road.

For the first time in a long time I can honestly say, it had been a damned good day overall.

Tomorrow's forecast was just as promising.

~~~**TBC**~~~


End file.
